1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method to ergonomically and safely activate machinery. More particularly, the present invention relates to a finger sensitive ergonomic machine actuator.
2. Description of the Related Art
The potential for accidental injury during the operation of many types of industrial machines has resulted in the production of numerous devices to protect the operators of such machines from injury. One common form of protection for the operator is to provide two spatially placed pushbutton switches which requires the operator to press both switches in order to activate the machine. However, often, machinery controlled by pushbutton switches continues to operate when the operator removes his hands from the switches which allows the operator the opportunity to move his or her hands. Another form of protection is to provide mechanical guards which block the operator's access to the machine when the machine is in operation.
While these types of protection work well when properly operated, situations may occur when the operator bypasses these safety devices and thereby increase the risk of accidental injury. For example, the operator may press the two spatially placed pushbutton switches to activate the machinery, then quickly place his or her hands near active parts in the machine so they can quickly retrieve the article within the machinery. Such action may cause serious injury if the hand or any other body part enters the area where machine parts are moving. As another example, the operator may remove any mechanical guards provided so as to increase the speed of operation and again may suffer injury if hand or any other body part enters the area where machine parts are moving.
Aside from the above described mechanical drawbacks of current machine safety devices, other problems arise when an operator has to repeatedly press pushbutton switches or the like in order to activate machinery. Such repetitive action may result in Cumulative Trauma Disorders. Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTD's) are injuries caused over a period of time by repeated exposure to stresses on particular body parts. The most common type of CTD to affect machine operators is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is caused by using the fingers while the wrist is in a flexed or extended, i.e., a non-neutral position. The farther the wrist is bent from the neutral position, the more muscle pressure and tendon tension is required to do a given amount of work. Tendons in the underside of the wrist become compressed and inflamed and press on the median nerve, which supplies feeling in the thumb, index, middle and ring fingers. Health effects can range from slight numbness and tingling to severe pain and muscle atrophy. The more tendon tension that is exerted while the wrist is bent, the more potentially severe the effects.
Therefore, a need exists to provide a machine actuation system which incorporates ergonomic principles and which provides safe operation when properly used. The present invention provides such a system.